Deal of Darkness
by Anorin Xikian
Summary: (*Ch. 5 is Up*) (Unrelated to Desperate Measures/Darkness Chronicles). AU Story that takes place at the end of Season 3. What if Phoebe's deal with The Source had been kept? Phoebe is a half-demon serving him, while Prue and Piper think that she is dead.
1. Chapter 1: New Dawning, Part I

Chapter 1: New Dawning, Part I  
  
Author's Notes: Okay, while you're waiting for the latest part of "Darkness Chronicles", you have something new to tide you over. After downloading and watching the Season 3 Finale, "All Hell Breaks Loose", for the second time (the watching part, I mean), the idea almost instantly came to me for another, perhaps more interesting Alternate-Universe, Halliwell-gone-evil story (I love writing evil Halliwell stories, so much material, so little time). For this one, we go back to the deal made between The Source and Phoebe. Here's a refresher course for those who forget: The Source was going to summon Tempest to turn back time (thereby killing him), since Piper had died and Prue was about to die due to them being found out and exposed by the media. However, for him to do so, Phoebe had to agree to turn evil. Phoebe agreed on the condition that Cole be allowed to warn Prue and Piper that The Source's Demonic hitman, Shrafts, was coming to kill them, because they'd be dead anyway if he didn't. However, The Source betrayed them, leaving Prue and Piper to die. Leo managed to save Piper, but not Prue. However, in my story, The Source will have kept to his deal, feeling that turning Phoebe from a good Witch into an evil entity was worth it, because of the great power Phoebe showed as a Warlock in the episode "Bride and Gloom". We open as time has been turned back, and Prue and Piper have managed to get a frantic Dr. Griffis to calm down, just moments before Shrafts arrives.  
  
  
  
"Well, what the hell do you plan to do about Shrafts?" Piper said frantically.  
  
"I don't know, I don't know, just give me a freaking moment to THINK!" Prue yelled out. "Where is Phoebe?"  
  
"I don't know, Leo can't sense her, we tried a little while ago." Piper said. "She must have gone back to the Underworld to find Cole without telling us."  
  
(Author's Note: Underworld isn't affected by time being reset so Phoebe is still there.)  
  
Cole suddenly shimmered in, breaking up this frenzied conversation.  
  
"What the hell are you doing here?" Prue yelled at him. "And where is our sister?"  
  
"I don't have any time to explain." Cole said. "Just, use this amulet to kill Shrafts."  
  
Cole grabbed a small red amulet, strung to a necklace, out of his pocket.  
  
"Piper, more exactly." Cole said. "It will magnify her explosion power and will allow her to vanquish Shrafts with it. He'll be coming any second, and if you don't use this, you'll both die."  
  
"How do you know..." Piper began to say, but Cole shimmered out. Piper turned to Prue. "Well?"  
  
"I guess we have no choice but to trust him." Prue replied.  
  
Piper nodded and put the amulet around her neck, just as the tornado that is Shrafts made its way into the Manor. Piper waved her arms, and the tornado exploded in mid-air, leaving a resdue that signaled its vanquish.  
  
"Wow, that's one powerful amulet." Piper remarked. "Now, what do we do about the doctor?"  
  
"Come on." Prue said. "Let me take the lead."  
  
"As always." Piper snorted before following her sister.  
  
  
  
Cole shimmered back in front of Phoebe and Leo in the Underworld.  
  
"It's done." Cole said. "They have the amulet."  
  
"Does that mean they vanquished him?" Phoebe asked him.  
  
"Of course." came a voice from behind.  
  
Phoebe, Cole, and Leo turned to see a man in a black suit standing behind them.  
  
(Author's Note: Since he's never introduced in my story, I have "cast" the person who played the Vampire Rowan in "Bite Me" as this character. So, he looks just like Rowan. Yes, I can do that.)  
  
"Aerax." Cole said. "The Demon Aerax, one of the most powerful in the world. Also an old enemy of mine."  
  
"You and I never got along very well, did we?" Aerax said with a laugh. "But now, it looks like we will have to, since we're going to be one big, happy family."  
  
"What do you mean?" Cole asked him.  
  
"I've been assigned to help you and Phoebe." Aerax said. "Phoebe is new to evil, and she doesn't need the sole guidance of a man who can't decide whether he's even evil or not."  
  
"What makes you think Cole is even staying with me?" Phoebe asked him. "He's free to go, that wasn't part of the stipluations, and I brought out his good side again."  
  
"Cole would never abandon his Witch." Aerax replied. "He's so predictable that way. Aren't you, Cole?"  
  
Cole gritted his teeth at him, as Leo backed away.  
  
"The Source sent me to inform you all of a little spell added to Tempest's final work." Aerax said. "The deal can never be broken. If Phoebe returns to the side of good, Tempest's turning back of time is autmoatically ended and we return to the time that we left."  
  
"Which means Piper dead." Phoebe said.  
  
"Correct." Aerax said. "One little other stipluation."  
  
Aerax turned to Leo.  
  
"Whitelighter, listen to me, and listen to me good." Aerax said. "The Source does not want Phoebe interacting with her siblings just yet. That will only reinforce the good still left inside of her and will not help her progression into evil. So, you are to report to them that they are dead. Thanks to a powerful spell cast directly by The Source himself, it is what the Elders will believe as well. Only you will know that it is not true. If you ever reveal to them that Phoebe is still alive and serving evil, Tempest's turning back of time will be automatically ended."  
  
"Fine." Leo said.  
  
"You are also never to step foot in the Underworld again, or I will personally see to it that a Blacklighter puts an arrow right through your heart." Aerax said.  
  
Leo gave him a nasty look, and then turned to Phoebe.  
  
"Phoebe....I don't know what to say to you." Leo said. "You're making the ultimate sacrifice....without you, my Piper would be dead. My wife, would be dead. And since this is the last time I will ever see the good you, the real you, again, I want to thank you, with all of my heart."  
  
Phoebe, with tears welling up in her eyes, embraced Leo.  
  
"Yes, yes, that's all well and good, now get moving Whitelighter!" Aerax shouted.  
  
Leo let go of his embrace, and mouthed "Goodbye" as he orbbed out. Phoebe began crying a bit and hugged Cole's shoulder.  
  
"It's going to be okay, Phoebe." Cole told her. "I'm going to be here with you, always. I'll always love you."  
  
"But I won't always love you, Cole." Phoebe said between sobs. "You'll always have good in you because you're half-human, but me.....I'll be fully evil, and once I completley fall into evil, I won't be able to love you anymore!"  
  
Cole embraced her again.  
  
"We won't let that happen." was all Cole could say to her.  
  
"Enjoy your last few moments as a Witch." Aerax said. "You are to be brought in front of The Source for your ceremony."  
  
"Ceremony?" Phoebe asked him, removing a tear.  
  
"Your turning." Aerax told her.  
  
"Why does my turning need a ceremony?" Phoebe asked him. "If I'm just going from Witch to Warlock, that's natural progression from Good to Evil."  
  
"You're not becoming a Warlock, my dear." Aerax told her. "You're becoming an upper-level Demon."  
  
"What?" Cole asked him.  
  
"According to The Source's Oracle, Phoebe's powers will increase greatly if she is turned into a Demon." Aerax said. "And she will do it by mixing your blood with hers."  
  
"So wait...." Phoebe began. "I'll be a half-Witch, half-Demon?"  
  
"Correct." Aerax told her.  
  
Secretly, Phoebe began to work this out in her mind.  
  
If I remain half-Witch, that means if I can resist evil on my Witch side, I can remain half-good, just like Cole! Phoebe thought. And as half-good, I can still love him!  
  
She nodded as she walked through the exit of Cole's quaters in the Underworld. Aerax then turned to Cole.  
  
"And by the way, I just love how you sneaked the Amulet of Mer'Kai to the Charmed Ones, giving them the ability to vanquish the Demons that The Source sends without the Power of Three." Aerax said. "No, I'm not going to go tell The Source. You being tortured to death would be counter-productive to Phoebe's turning. I am, however, going to keep my eye on you, old friend."  
  
Aerax turned and went towards the exit as Cole glared at where he was once standing, before walking towards the exit as well.  
  
  
  
Prue and Piper were upstairs in the attic, frantically searching through the Book of Shadows.  
  
"Leo!" Piper yelled.  
  
"It's no use, Piper, that's the tenth time you called him." Prue said. "Did you find anything in the Book about that amulet?"  
  
"No." Piper said. "Think that means it's Black Magic?"  
  
"We'll have to ask Leo whenever we manage to find him. "LEO!"  
  
This time, Leo finally orbbed in.  
  
"Leo, we need your help." Prue said. "Cole showed up, gave Piper this weird amulet that let us vanquish Bracks without the Power of Three, then left again. And we haven't been able to find Phoebe since you told us that you couldn't sense her. Just where have you been?"  
  
"With the Elders." Leo lied. "Prue, Piper, there's something I need to tell you."  
  
"Well?" Prue asked him. "What is it?"  
  
"Phoebe is dead. When she returned to the Underworld, Cole....he killed her."  
  
It seemed as if life stopped at that very moment for Prue and Piper. Their baby sister has been killed....tears began to flow. Mourning began as Piper dropped to her knees, and Prue turned and exited the attic. Leo kneeled down and embraced Piper, trying to deal with the guilt of lying to her and forcing her to go through this. It was the end of the Power of Three.  
  
  
  
In the chamber of The Source, black crystals had been spread into a circle of dark energy. As The Source, still in his red robe, stood behind the crystals, Aerax entered the room, and went to his side.  
  
"Sire, Pheobe is ready for the ceremony." Aerax told him.  
  
The Source nodded.  
  
  
  
Outside in the hallway, Phoebe and Cole embraced one last time.  
  
"You're sure that you want to go through with this, Phoebe?" Cole asked her.  
  
"I don't." Phoebe replied with a tear in her right eye. "But I must. It is the only way to make things right for Prue and Piper."  
  
"And what about you?"  
  
"I will survive....somehow." Phoebe said. "Cole....if I can resist evil on my Witch side, can't I remain half-good, just like you?"  
  
"Yes, but it's not easy, Phoebe." Cole said. "It's a lot easier if you allow yourself to be turned evil on your Witch half as well. That way, you can be fully evil. It's easier to deal with than the nagging voice of good, especially considering you can never return to good."  
  
"But then I can't love you." Phoebe said. "This way, I can."  
  
Phoebe kissed him before the two held hands and prepared to enter The Source's chamber.  
  
  
  
Several men in dark robes began filing into the chamber, each holding red candels. Then, after the final one had filed in, Phoebe and Cole stepped into the chamber, Phoebe wearing a black gown. Emotion was no longer seen in her eyes, as she had given herself up to a harsh coldness of her new reality. They entered the center of dark energy created by the black crystals, and stood before The Source.  
  
"Today, we arrive at a new era." The Source said. "This powerful Witch, a Charmed One, is ready to shed the restraints of good, and become a much more powerful Demon for evil."  
  
Phoebe felt a jolt of dark energy run through her. It felt like an eerie cold rage, a boiling, yet cool feeling of anger and darkness. One of the men in dark robes stepped in front of The Source, in-between himself and Phoebe.  
  
"This Dark Preist shall complete your transformation." The Source said.  
  
"Are you willing to embrace darkness, and completley reject all that is good?" the Dark Preist asked her.  
  
"Yes." came Phoebe's reply.  
  
Another jolt of dark energy ran through her veins, as the Dark Preist took out a ceremonial knife. With it, he cut Phoebe's wrist and Cole's wrist, and held their arms parallel over each other, allowing their bloods to mix. He only did this for a slight second before pulling them away.  
  
"I summon the spirit of all that is dark to come forth!" the Dark Preist screamed. "Bring the demonic powers forth, and allow her to accept them!"  
  
Phoebe struggled to maintain her composre as inside her, an avalanche of dark power had been let loose. She felt her body changing inside, her mind changing as well. She finally fell to her knees, unable to keep her stance with the dark power so suddenly arriving inside of her. She closed her eyes shut, and suddenly seemed to be at peace.  
  
"It has been completed." the Dark Preist said.  
  
"Excellent." The Source replied. "Phoebe, how do you feel?"  
  
Phoebe opened her eyes, and an evil smile formed on her lips. From her kneeled position, she opened her left hand, and a stream of fire shot out of it, hitting the Dark Preist, and vanquishing him into nothing as he screamed and exploded. She stood up, and kissed Cole, then turned back to The Source.  
  
"Wonderful." Phoebe said. "Absolutley wonderful."  
  
She kissed Cole again as The Source broke into a maniacal laughter.  
  
To Be Continued.....  
  
  
  
(Yet Another Author's Note: Since I want this to feel like a real "season" of Charmed, with stand-alone plots and such besides the plot of the entire story, I'm adding a "next up" thing at the end with a preview of the next chapter. Hope you like it.)  
  
Next Up: New Dawning, Part II  
  
Phoebe recieves her first assignment as a Demon- she's to kill a young boy who will grow up to be a future peace negoitatior, saving many innocent lives that would have died in wars he prevents. Cole and Aerox help her through her first mission. Meanwhile, Prue and Piper figure that something is up when something blocks them from locating Cole and the body of Phoebe, and head to the Underworld themselves to investigate. 


	2. Chapter 2: New Dawning, Part II

Chapter 2: New Dawning, Part II  
  
Piper held her magical crystal over the map of San Fransisco as she and Prue sat in the living room.  
  
"Nothing." Piper said. "And I've been scrying for a freaking hour. Something's blocking us from detecting Phoebe's dead body."  
  
"But why would evil do that?" Prue wondered. I mean, if Phoebe's dead, why would they block her body?  
  
"I'm not sure, but Leo's up there trying to find out for us." Piper said.  
  
  
  
In The Underworld, Phoebe entered the chamber of The Source. She was wearing a very different outfit- black and red leather.  
  
"You rang?" she asked him.  
  
"I have your first assignment, Phoebe." The Source said.  
  
An image of a young boy appeared before the three of them.  
  
"Kill a kid?" Phoebe asked him. "Why?"  
  
"The child shall grow up to be one of the most succesful peace negoitatiors, sparing many innocent lives that otherwise would have died in war." The Source said. "He has much too goodness to allow to live, even as a boy he touches those who might grow up to do great evil deeds. He must be killed."  
  
Phoebe nodded.  
  
"I understand." she said.  
  
But inside of her, the goodness she still had, since she was only half- Demon, was clouding her mind with doubts.  
  
Can I really bring myself to end the life of a young child? Phoebe thought. And if I fail, will The Source use the spell to reverse Tempest's set-back of time?  
  
She made a slight bow before shimmering out.  
  
  
  
Phoebe shimmered in a large cave, where Cole and Aerox were waiting.  
  
"Well, did you find out who your innocent is?" Aerox asked her.  
  
"Yeah." Phoebe said. "A little boy who will grow up to be a skilled peace negoitator."  
  
"Makes sense as to why The Source would want him dead, then." Aerox said. "Better to nip this one in the butt, so to speak, early on."  
  
"I guess." Phoebe said.  
  
"Aerox, can you give me some time alone with Phoebe?" Cole asked him.  
  
"Yeah, whatever." Aerox repiled, and shimmered out.  
  
Cole turned to Phoebe.  
  
"I know the good inside of you must be beating the evil hands-down on this one, Phoebe." Cole said. "Even half-demon, you're too good a person to not care about killing a child. Especially since this is your first kill. I suspect The Source gave you such a harsh mission to test you."  
  
"First kill?" Phoebe said questionably. "So do they get easier for you as you go along?"  
  
"Yeah." Cole repiled. "You start caring less and less about the innocent, as you slip more into evil."  
  
"That's probably a blessing in my case." Phoebe said. "I can't go back to being good anyway, mine as well make it easier on myself."  
  
"Then like I said, you should allow your Witch half to turn evil as well." Cole said. "My human half can't turn evil, so I'll always be half-good. You, however, can choose to be fully evil."  
  
"But like I said, then I can't love you." Phoebe said. "And loving you is worth all the pain."  
  
Cole smiled and the two kissed. As they kissed, Aerox shimmered back in.  
  
"Can you two half-good lovebirds stop with the sappy shit and get on with the mission?" Aerox asked them.  
  
They broke their embrace to stare angrily at Aerox.  
  
"Yeah, whatever." came Phoebe's reply. "Follow me."  
  
Phoebe shimmered out, followed by Cole and then Aerox.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, back at the Manor, Leo orbbed into the living room.  
  
"The Elders know nothing." Leo told them.  
  
"Well, I want to get my sister's body." Prue said. "So, the only way is to go to the Underworld and find Cole."  
  
Crap. Leo thought. I wish I could tell them the truth, that Phoebe isn't dead and that's why they can't sense her body, but if I do the spell breaks and time goes back to as it was, and that can't happen. Plus, if they find Cole maybe he can tell them, and if he tells them, no spell is broken.  
  
"Alright, I'll orb the two of you down there." Leo said.  
  
"And did The Elders find out anything else about my amulet?" Piper asked him.  
  
"Not yet." Leo said. "Hopefully soon they will. Now, come on, we have to get going."  
  
Prue and Piper nodded, and they each grabbed onto Leo as he orbbed out with them.  
  
  
  
The three orbbed in to an underground hallway.  
  
"Where did you orb us to?" Prue asked him.  
  
"I can't orb to locations in the Underworld, you should know that." Leo said. "I can just Orb to the Underworld and it randomly picks a spot to send us."  
  
"Great." Piper said. "Well, let's go find a guard and see if he knows where to find Cole."  
  
"Belthazor isn't here."  
  
Prue, Piper, and Leo turned around to see a young, man, early 20-ish, in a red-and-black almost uniform-like outfit, with bright white hair (not the dull, old-man kind).  
  
"Who are you?" Prue asked him.  
  
"Oh....crap." Leo said.  
  
"What?" Piper asked him. "Do you know who he is?"  
  
"No, but I know *what* he is." Leo said. "He's a Fallen Angel. A regular spirit who got kicked from the Above for evil behavior or intentions. They are incredibly powerful when they enter The Underworld but they must kill someone who is good to get back to the surface. Which is rare in the Underworld."  
  
"My name is Kailos, actually." he said. "And, you two Witches happen to be good."  
  
Piper raised her hands to make him blow up, but Kailos merely raised his left hand in front of him, and a bright white light flashed in front of his body.  
  
"What happened?" Piper asked him.  
  
"He protected himself from your power." Leo said. "I told you he was powerful."  
  
Kailos raised his left arm, and then tossed a bolt of white lighting at Piper's chest, sending her down to the ground.  
  
"Piper!" Prue yelled.  
  
Leo went down to heal him, but then remembered something important.  
  
"Prue, my healing powers don't work in The Underworld!" Leo yelled. "We have to get out of here!"  
  
Prue raised her hand to try and use her power, but Kailos raised his left hand again and the power was again blocked by the flash of white light. As Kailos had to use this moment to protect himself, Leo grabbed Prue while holding onto Piper, and orbbed out with them, just dodging a white energy ball thrown by Kailos.  
  
"Shit!" Kailos yelled out.  
  
  
  
Leo orbbed back into the Halliwell living room with Prue and Piper. He quickly healed Piper's chest wound.  
  
"Question." Prue said. "If Fallen Angels are so powerful, how come The Source doesn't just bring them good people from above and let them kill them?"  
  
"Because The Source hates Fallen Angels." Leo said. "They're powers are still good in nature, as you saw by the white flashes and the like. So they are rejected because their powers come from good, not evil. They have just found a loophole to use these powers for their own desires."  
  
"And man, those are some powers." Piper said.  
  
  
  
Phoebe, Cole, and Aerox all shimmered in a surbubian house, in an empty kitchen. They peered to see the young boy quietly watching TV in the living room. Aerox looked around the other side, seeing that the mother was on the phone in the dining room.  
  
"Kill him now, while the mother is occupied." Cole said. "We don't want to leave a body trail. Publicity isn't evil's friend anymore than it is good's."  
  
"Good point." Aerox said.  
  
Phoebe took a deep breath, and raised one arm, preparing to send a stream of fire at the little boy. The boy screamed, and Phoebe hesistated. In a panic, Phoebe reached one arm out to the boy's shoulder instead and shimmered out with him. The mother ran into the living room, screaming as her son was gone.  
  
"What the hell is she doing?" Aerox angrily whispered to Cole.  
  
"I don't know." Cole whispered back. "But let's go find out."  
  
Cole and Aerox both shimmered out just as the mother entered the kitchen.  
  
  
  
The two demons shimmered back in the large cave, where Phoebe was standing over the boy, who was unconcious.  
  
"Is he dead?" Cole asked her.  
  
"No, just unconcious." Phoebe said. "I can't bring myself to kill him."  
  
"I can't believe this!" Aerox shouted.  
  
"Aerox, would you give her a break, she's still half-good and it's her first kill." Cole said. "I had a lot of trouble with my first kill as well, and making it a little boy didn't help either."  
  
He turned to Phoebe.  
  
"Do you want me to kill him for you?" he asked her.  
  
"NO!" Aerox screamed. "SHE has to do it! She must learn to be evil!"  
  
As they were arguing, Kailos appeared in a brilliant flash of white light.  
  
"Thank you for the innocent." he said, and with an evil grin, raised one arm.  
  
"No!" Cole yelled, but he was too late.  
  
Kailos shocked the boy to death with a blast of white lightening.  
  
"That's not one of those Fallen Angel things you told me about, is it?" Phoebe asked him.  
  
Cole's look gave her the answer.  
  
"Shit!" Phoebe yelled.  
  
They watched in horror as the boy's spirit flew into Kailos, making him glow with whtie light.  
  
"I'm free." Kailos said.  
  
Cole threw an energy ball at him, but Kailos dissapered in another white light, dodging it.  
  
To Be Continued....  
  
  
  
Next Episode: New Dawning, Part III  
  
Cole and Aerox end up working together with Prue and Piper to bring down Kailos, but will they be enough to stop his great powers? Also, Phoebe gets re-assigned to another child, and tries to connect with the Demon within her in order to gain the strength to kill him. 


	3. Chapter 3: New Dawning, Part III

New Dawning, Part III  
  
"This failure is unspeakable!" The Source shouted.  
  
Phoebe, Cole, and Aerox were now before The Source in his chambers, who was furious with them for allowing Phoebe to bring her innocent to the Underworld, unharmed, and then allowing the Fallen Angel Kailos to kill the innocent, allowing his freedom back to the surface.  
  
"Cole, Aerox, you must work together with the remaining Charmed Ones to stop Kailos." The Source said. "This is important, as Kailos will destroy us all if he is not vanquished!"  
  
"How will we convince them to work with us, my liege?" Aerox asked him. "They think Cole killed their sister."  
  
"Make them realize the importance." The Source said. "The vanquishing spell for a Fallen Angel requires two great sources of good, and two great sources of evil, so the two of you will be neccesary."  
  
Cole and Aerox nodded, kneeled, and then shimmered out.  
  
"As for you...." The Source began to say. "Phoebe, you are being reassigned to another young child I want dead. A future great Healer. Kill him, or I will reverse Tempest's altering of time! Understood?"  
  
Phoebe kneeled before him.  
  
"Understood, my liege." Phoebe said, despite the sickening feeling that came over her.  
  
She stood up and shimmered out as well.  
  
  
  
"Stop, demon!" shouted a red-headed young woman.  
  
A man dressed in black, running down an alley, turned around as the young woman raised her right hand, and a knife came out of it. She was obviously a witch. The demon was stabbed in the shoulder, but tossed an energy ball at her, knocking her down.  
  
Suddenly, Kailos apperaed between the two of them in a brilliant white light.  
  
"Who are you?" the witch asked him.  
  
"Your destiny." Kailos repiled, and he raised both hands, one facing the demon, one facing the witch.  
  
The hands glew that same white light, and two beams of light energy came out, one in each direction. One hit the witch, and one hit the demon, and they were both vanquished upon contact, exploding in a blue fire. The blue fire then flew into each hand.  
  
"Energy." Kailos said, then dissapered in another white flash.  
  
  
  
Prue and Piper, still grieving, were each sitting in the living room, staring blankly into space, when Cole and Aerox shimmered in. Instinctivley, Piper raised her hands to blow him up, but Cole made a gesture with his right hand immeaditley before she did, and the Amulet of Mer'Kai was no longer around her neck. Thus, her own powers weren't enough to kill Cole, who's particles quickly re-assembled.  
  
"Your powers alone aren't enough to destroy me, Piper." Cole said. "And, that's my amulet. I gave it to you to vanquish Shrafts with. Nothing more."  
  
Cole stuffed the amulet into his pocket.  
  
"So, why'd you come here then?" Prue asked him. "Thinking we were going to thank you after you killed our sister?"  
  
"No." Cole said. "I came here because the four of us have to work together."  
  
"I don't even know who he is, and I don't work with evil." Prue said.  
  
"Would all of you please SHUT UP!" Aerox said. "This is much bigger than good and evil! A Fallen Angel has escaped the Underworld! He's slowly killing both Witches and Demons, and absorbing their life energies! If he kills too many of them, he will be unstoppable!"  
  
"So why should we trust you, then?" Piper asked them.  
  
"Because the vanquishing spell, in your Book of Shadows, requries two great forces of good, and two great forces of evil, to say it together, since Fallen Angels are a threat to both good and evil." Cole said. "Go check if you don't believe me."  
  
Prue made a gesture to Piper, and she went up to the attic to check.  
  
"Don't make any moves until she gets back." Prue said. "And after this is over, we will find a way to vanquish you."  
  
"Go ahead and try." Cole said. "Without the amulet, Piper's powers can't do it, and the only vanquishing spell is a Power of Three spell. And the Power of Three is dead."  
  
In an angry rage, Prue raised one of her arms and sent Cole flying into the wall.  
  
"Prue! Stop!" Piper yelled as she ran down the stairs. "He's telling the truth. We need him and Aerox to vanquish the Fallen Angel."  
  
"You'll have to grab onto each of us, and we'll take you to Kailos." Aerox said.  
  
"Ah, so it's that creep." Piper said.  
  
"Great, we have to grab onto....demons." Prue said.  
  
"Phoebe had no problem doing it." Aerox said, to which Cole slammed his elbow into Aerox's chest.  
  
Why would Cole be defending Phoebe's honor if he killed her? Prue thought. I mean, wouldn't that mean he doesn't love her anymore? Something doesn't quite add up here.....  
  
"Well, are you coming?" Cole asked Prue.  
  
Piper had already, reluctantly, grabbed onto Aerox's hand.  
  
"Yeah." Prue said, and she did the same with Cole.  
  
Cole and Aerox shimmered out with Prue and Piper.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, Phoebe shimmered into a super market, behind one of the aisles. Two people standing there, one male, one female, saw her shimmer in, and stood there in shock.  
  
"HELP!" one of them started screaming.  
  
"Shut it." Phoebe said, and released a stream of fire from her right hand, making her explode, and then did the same to the man.  
  
Suddenly, Phoebe pulled her right hand back, ashamed and apalled at what she just did, without even thinking about it.  
  
It's the demon inside of me. Phoebe realized. The demonic instincts are taking control. That's how I can complete this mission. Let the demon take control.  
  
Phoebe shut her eyes, and after a deep breath, turned the corner to see the little boy picking out a cereal box as his mother bended down to watch. Phoebe squinted her eyes, trying to find the strength inside her to do this. She suddenly released another stream of fire that caught the boy sending him down to the floor and exploding.  
  
"No!" the mother shouted, and cried, mixing her tears with the ashes left of her child.  
  
With tear-filled eyes, she turned back to Phoebe.  
  
"How could you do this to my son?" she said, and went back to crying into his ashes.  
  
Phoebe tried despeartley to work through her conflicting emotions. With a tear in one eye, she looked down at her right hand, where the fire was still there.  
  
"The same way that I could do THIS!" Phoebe screamed, and a stream of fire caught the mother as well, delivering to her a similar fate.  
  
Again, another tear fell as Phoebe looked down at the fire in her right hand, finally allowing it to extinguish. Phoebe dropped to her knees, and shimmered out as she was in the middle of crying. She shimmered into a large cave in the Underworld, still on her knees and still crying.  
  
"How....could I...." Phoebe said between sobs.  
  
"Because evil is what you are now."  
  
Phoebe turned around to see the Seer standing behind her.  
  
"Go away!" Phoebe cried. "I don't want to talk to you right now!"  
  
The Seer bended down to put her face close to Phoebe's.  
  
"But you must." the Seer said. "I am the only one who understands you."  
  
"You.....you do?" Phoebe said, again between sobs.  
  
"Yes." the Seer said. "Those demonic instincts....you must give yourself to them, and stop worrying about consequences. You are evil now Phoebe, and evil does not grieve for its victims, nor does it worry about the concsequences."  
  
The Seer gave Phoebe a hand, and Phoebe took it, as she was helped back up.  
  
"Thank you." Phoebe said, wiping away the last of her tears.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, Cole and Aerox shimmered into an alley with Prue and Piper, as Kailos had a demon cornered.  
  
"Your power will now be mine." Kailos said.  
  
"I don't forsee that happening, I'm afriad."  
  
Kailos turned around to the source of the voice, and saw that Aerox had stepped into the front of the group, and he was the one who challenged him. Aerox grinned, and then raised his right hand. In a flash, several small red shots of energy, almost like bullets, went towards Kailos. Kailos calmly raised his right hand, which glowed white, causing the shots to discintegrate before getting any closer. Aerox, however, had already shimmered out before this, and shimmered in behind Kailos. Using his other power, a knife appeared in his left hand, which he used to stab Kailos in the back, then shimmered out again. As Kailos held the wound in pain, Aerox joined Prue, Piper, and Cole.  
  
"He's a powerful demon, hope we don't have to fight him." Piper said.  
  
"Misguided hope." Cole replied.  
  
Aerox shimmered in with them, and together they read the vanquishing spell. At the end of it, Kailos glowed with white energy, and as he screamed in pain, exploded in an even brighter white light, vanquished.  
  
"Well, ladies, it was a pleasure working with you." Aerox said. "Next time, it will be a pleasure killing you."  
  
He shimmered out as Piper made a false laugh.  
  
"As for you." Piper said as she turned back around, but Cole had already shimmered out.  
  
"So how the hell are we supposed to get home?" Prue said angrily.  
  
  
  
"Excellent work." The Source said. "For all three of you."  
  
"Thank you, my liege." Phoebe replied.  
  
Phoebe, Cole, and Aerox now stood before The Source once again, and kneeled down for him.  
  
"Phoebe, your mission was completed with remarkable percision." The Source said.  
  
"Well, I do have strong demonic blood running down my veins." Phoebe said, and she kissed Cole on the cheek.  
  
"The three of you are dismissed, but be prepared as I will surely call upon you again." The Source said.  
  
Phoebe, Cole, and Aerox all kneeled for him again, and then shimmered out. Right after, the Seer appeared.  
  
"All is going as planned, my liege." the Seer said. "Phoebe is on the path to true darkness, and she will eventually be ready to kill her sisters."  
  
"Good." The Source said. "See to it that nothing gets in her way."  
  
  
  
Next Part: Chance Encounters  
  
Prue and Piper have to protect an innocent from a powerful demonic Knight. Meanwhile, Phoebe is assigned to kill a strong witch, and runs into Leo, as the witch is his charge. Will Phoebe end up having to kill Leo? 


	4. Chapter 4: Chance Encounters

Chance Encounters  
  
"Look out!" Prue screamed.  
  
Piper leaped out of the way, barely dodging a thrown knife.  
  
"Oooh you are so going to pay for that!" Piper yelled.  
  
She moved her arms and froze the knight dressed in black armor who had thrown the knife.  
  
Prue and Piper were in the apartment of their latest innocent, a young woman being hunted by a demonic knight. As he was frozen, Prue used her power to send him flying out the window to the ground below.  
  
"Come on, let's get out of here until Leo finds out how to vanquish him!" Prue yelled.  
  
  
  
Phoebe shimmered into The Source's chamber, standing in front of him. She immeaditley kneeled before him.  
  
"Phoebe, I have another mission for you." The Source said.  
  
"I am ready to serve, my liege." Phoebe replied as she remain kneeled.  
  
The Source waved one arm and a holographic image of a young man, with blonde hair and dressed in a torn shirt and jean shorts, appeared.  
  
"He looks pathetic." Phoebe said with a slight grin.  
  
"Do not laugh." The Source said. "This man is Thomas Ford, and he has cost us many potiental demons. He lives out on the streets with troubled youths and tries to convince them to turn their lives around. Thus, the horrible- looking clothing."  
  
"He should be killed just for wearing that." Phoebe said as she stood up. "Well, no big deal. He'll be dead quickly enough."  
  
"I trust you, Phoebe." The Source replied. "Now go, and do not betray my trust!"  
  
Phoebe nodded and shimmered out.  
  
  
  
Prue, Piper, and the young woman pulled up to the Halliwell Manor in Piper's jeep.  
  
"Who are you people?" the woman asked them.  
  
"Umm....well, think of us as your protectors." Prue replied. "That knight is out to kill you, and we need to protect you and vanquish him."  
  
"What?" she asked them. "Why is he out to kill me?"  
  
"It's complicated." Prue replied as she and Piper got out of the jeep.  
  
The woman followed as the three of them entered the manor. Just then, Leo orbbed in.  
  
"Ah!" the woman screamed.  
  
"I don't have a lot of time, I have another innocent I have to go see." Leo said. "But I do know how to vanquish the demonic knight. Stab him right through the armor and through the heart with his own sword. It's magical so it will be strong enough to break through the armor."  
  
"Thanks Leo!" Piper said and gave him a quick kiss before he orbbed out.  
  
"Now, all we have to do is wait for the knight to follow her here." Prue said.  
  
  
  
Tom helped a young woman, dressed in torn clothing, stand up. It appeared that she was pregnant.  
  
"Are you okay?" Tom asked her. "You need to be more careful with your baby."  
  
"I am, thank you Tom." the woman replied. "Without you, I don't know what I would have done."  
  
"Touching."  
  
Tom and the woman turned to see Phoebe, dressed in a red top and black, leather pants, walk out from the other area of the alley, a sly smile on her face.  
  
"Who are you?" the woman asked her.  
  
"Shut up." Phoebe replied, and sent out a stream of fire that engulfed the pregnant woman, killing her in a violent explosion of fire.  
  
"How could..." Tom began to say, but was knocked down by a swift kick to his head.  
  
"Spare me the 'how could you kill a preganant mother' crap, please." Phoebe said. "I'm evil. It's what I do."  
  
As Phoebe raised her right hand to kill the man with that same fire- throwing power, Leo suddenly orbbed in.  
  
"PHOEBE DON'T!" Leo screamed out, and on reflex Phoebe turned and blasted Leo!  
  
Leo hit the wall, falling to the ground. Of course, fire couldn't kill a Whitelighter- but it sure did hurt like hell.  
  
"Leo!" Phoebe yelled out.  
  
Tom took off down the alleyway, but Phoebe turned back around and sent another stream of fire at him, hitting him and killing him. Leo screamed out, not only in his own pain but for Tom's death.  
  
"Phoebe, he was my charge!" Leo said. "How could you?"  
  
Phoebe looked down at him, a bit of sadness in her eyes.  
  
"We're on different sides now, Leo." Phoebe said. "I'm a demon. This is what I do. Kill innocents. You need to stay away, and not beat yourself up over it."  
  
"Phoebe, wait!" Leo said, but Phoebe turned and shimmered out.  
  
  
  
Back in the manor, Prue and Piper were seated on the steps, trying to calm down the young woman they were protecting, when Leo orbbed in.  
  
"Leo, are you okay?" Piper asked him. "You don't look so good."  
  
"A demon got one of my charges." Leo replied.  
  
"Awww, honey." Piper said, and gave her husband a hug.  
  
However, their embrace was quickly broken as the demonic knight shimmered in. Piper quickly waved her hands, freezing him.  
  
"Good thing you didn't try and make him blow up." Prue said. "It said in the Book that powers that directly harm him bounce off his armor."  
  
"Well, thanks for telling me NOW, Prue!" Piper yelled. "Get the sword before he unfreezes!"  
  
Prue ran over and pulled the sword out from behind his armor. Then, she put the sword through the armor and through his heart. He unfroze, and screamed in pain as he was vanquished.  
  
"Well, that's that." Prue said, watching as the sword dissapered in her hands.  
  
"You can go back to your life now." Piper told the young woman. "Just don't tell anyone about us, okay?"  
  
"You have my word." she replied, and headed for the door.  
  
Piper turned and noticed that Leo still seemed upset.  
  
"Leo, are you sure you're okay?" Piper asked him. "You look like you've just seen a ghost."  
  
In a way I just did. Leo thought. The ghost of Phoebe Halliwell.  
  
"No, I'm alright." Leo said, trying his best to put on a slight grin.  
  
Piper hugged him again and kissed him on the cheek, while in the back of her mind trying to figure out what's bothering Leo.  
  
He's probably still just sad from having to deal with Phoebe's death. Piper thought. We all are.  
  
  
  
Phoebe shimmered into her's and Cole's chambers in the Underworld, which she found empty.  
  
Must be out doing some work of his own. Phoebe thought.  
  
She sat down on their bed, which was an actual bed and not straw, as most demons used.  
  
"Nice of The Source to give us a real bed, I guess, knowing that's what I've been used to as a human." Phoebe said to herself.  
  
"The Source doesn't do anything for niceness." Cole said. "A happy Phoebe is a more powerful Phoebe, which is beneficial to him."  
  
Phoebe turned to see hur lover, who had just shimmered in.  
  
"Standard mission?" Pheobe asked him, and Cole nodded. "How'd it go?"  
  
"I killed the innocent." Cole said. "It still hurts, but less and less as I get back into evil."  
  
Phoebe nodded.  
  
"Yeah, it hurts less with each kill for me too." she said. "Mine didn't go off as well, though. I killed him, but I ran into Leo as well."  
  
"Were your sisters there?" Cole asked her.  
  
"No, just Leo." Phoebe said. "The innocent was his charge."  
  
"Phoebe....you're doing evil in the same town your sisters are doing good." Cole said. "You're going to eventually run into them. You need to be prepared to shift into your demonic form to hide your idenity from them. Since we share the same demonic blood, it should look a lot like mine. Are you ready to try it?"  
  
"Cole....no, not yet." Phoebe responded. "I'm just- I'm not ready yet. I want to cling to what humanity I have left."  
  
"I understand." Cole said, and kissed her on the forehead. "I love you."  
  
"I love you." Phoebe responded, and the two kissed passionatley.  
  
  
  
Next Up: Secret Idnetities  
  
Phoebe encounters Prue and Piper, who are protecting the innocent she's trying to kill, and is forced to change into her demonic form for the first time to stop them. Prue and Piper do not realize that this new "female Belthazor" is Phoebe, and try and find a way to vanquish her, while Phoebe battles her own conflicting emotion as she tries and figures out a way to complete her mission without having to kill her own sisters. 


	5. Chapter 5: Secret Identities

Secret Identities  
  
"Blow him up already!" Prue yelled out.  
  
She ran through the door of the Halliwell Manor as Piper turned to face the demon chasing her- a man dressed in- what else?- black. She waved her hands, blowing him up.  
  
"That's the fourth demon in a row I've vanquished with my new power." Piper said with a grin.  
  
"Well, just be thankful your power has been progressing." Prue said. "Without it, we'd be in major trouble with no Power of Three."  
  
Piper sighed and sat down, Prue's words again bringing her back to Phoebe's death.  
  
"I'm sorry." Prue said as she sat down next to Piper. "We're going to get that son-of-a-bitch back for what he did to our sister. He's going to pay."  
  
"Is Karen okay?" Piper said, trying to get her mind off of Phoebe as she wiped away a tear.  
  
"Yeah, Leo brought her back home." Prue said. "Hopefully she'll be safe now, but Leo thinks that Karen must mean a lot to The Source, as he's already sent two upper-level demons after her and he'll probably send another one."  
  
Piper nodded and rested her head on her sister's shoulder.  
  
  
  
Phoebe sat down on her bed, staring down at a small photo of the three sisters together, from just a few months ago. A tear appeared in her eye.  
  
I sacrficied myself to evil for them. Phoebe thought. And yet I can't even see them. I can't even talk to them.  
  
Phoebe put the photo down and went back to what she had been doing a lot lately- surpressing her good side under the evil of her demonic half, so she didn't have to feel the pain of missing her sisters. She stood up, feeling her emotions fall underneath the darkness inside of her.  
  
At least it's useful for something. Phoebe thought.  
  
She decided to go take a shower to get her mind off of things, and walked out of the bedroom area of her quaters and into the bathroom area, sighing as she began to undress.  
  
  
  
"Damnit!" The Source screamed.  
  
He was not in his huge red robe, but rather in his much smaller black one, standing next to the Seer.  
  
"Is there not any demon powerful enough to get the innocent away from the two remaining Charmed Ones?" The Source said angrily. "Two have tried, and two have failed."  
  
"Perhaps you should ask a former Charmed One." the Seer said.  
  
"You believe she is ready?" The Source asked her.  
  
"If she goes under the disguise of her demonic form, yes." the Seer replied. "She is purpously pushing her good half down beneath the darkness in order to not feel the pain of missing her sisters. That is very good for us. She is definitley ready to fight her sisters for the first time. Soon, she will be ready to kill them."  
  
The Source nodded in agreement, and then a few moments later Phoebe shimmered into the chambers, summoned by The Source, and now wearing a black leather outfit (Author's Note: the one she wore during Long Live the Queen during the demon's meeting). She immeaditley kneeled before him.  
  
"My liege." she said.  
  
"I have a job for you." The Source said. "There is an innocent that must die. However, two demons have attempted to kill her, and they were both vanquished. By your sisters."  
  
Phoebe immeaditley stood up.  
  
"You mean, you want me...."  
  
"Yes." The Source replied. "Under the disguise of your demonic form, of course. You have tried turning into your demonic form, haven't you?"  
  
Phoebe shook her head.  
  
"Do it now." The Source told her. "You may be scared, but trust me, the feeling- freedom, complete freedom from good- is invigorating."  
  
Phoebe nodded, still a bit unsure and scared. She concentrated, and finally the shift happened. She became a bit taller, and now her skin was red-and- black, just as Belthazor's was. She looked down at herself, not really liking the skin color, but then....  
  
The floodgates were released. She felt the full power, the full concious of her demonic half become released.  
  
And it was a europhia beyond imagination.  
  
No more doubts or nagging voices of good clouding her mind. She was truely free. And she knew exactly what she wanted.  
  
"The job will be done." Phoebe said, kneeling before him and speaking in a slightly deeper version of her voice.  
  
She shimmered out.  
  
"This is a very interesting development." the Seer said as her eyes went white.  
  
"What is it?" The Source asked her.  
  
"The pain her humanity was feeling was so great, she has gone farther into the darkness than I expected." the Seer said. "It is possiable that she will lose control of her demonic half and attempt to kill her sisters while on this mission. They will, of course, be powerless to stop her- their powers don't work on another good witch, which she is still half of."  
  
"A quite unexpected pleasure." The Source said.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, Leo had brought Karen to the Manor, as he felt that evil would be sending out another attacker soon.  
  
Phoebe shimmered in, still in demonic form.  
  
"Always trust Leo's intutition." Piper said, as she and Prue turned to face Phoebe.  
  
"So what the hell are you supposed to be, Belthazor's girlfriend?" Prue asked her.  
  
Phoebe ignored her, and instead sent out a stream of fire that knocked her back into the wall.  
  
"Hey!" Piper yelled.  
  
She moved her hands to blow Phoebe up, but found that the power did nothing.  
  
"She's immune to my powers!" Piper yelled out.  
  
"Quit wasting my time." Phoebe replied, and kicked Piper in the stomach, sending her down to the floor, clutching it.  
  
She turned to face Leo and Karen. This time, Leo got a good luck at her- and now recognized her.  
  
"Phoebe?" Leo said quietly.  
  
Of course. Leo thought. The Source sent her here in her demonic form, letting her kill the innocent without blowing her cover. But something's wrong- Phoebe must have lost control of her demonic half when she went into her form, because I don't think she would intentionlly hurt her sisters if she was still in control.  
  
Phoebe didn't respond, instead sending out another stream of fire, knocking Leo unconcious. Without even saying anything else, she sent out a stream of fire that killed Karen, just as Prue got back to her feet.  
  
"No!" Prue yelled out.  
  
Phoebe turned to face her, and raised her hand to finish Prue off. But, something clicked inside of her.  
  
What the hell am I doing? Phoebe thought.  
  
She brought her hand down suddenly, horrified at what she almost did.  
  
As she hesitated, Prue leaped and tackled Phoebe to the ground, and in panic Phoebe shimmered out with Prue!  
  
Piper stood up, awake as well, and ran over to Leo, having seen what happened.  
  
"Leo, c'mon, we have to find Prue!" Piper said. "That demon shimmered out with her!"  
  
Leo sighed, and knew that this was going to come out anyway. He had to tell her.  
  
"Piper, that demon......is Phoebe." Leo said. "She's back in control, from what I saw. She's not going to hurt Prue."  
  
Piper stood there, stunned.  
  
And promptly fainted.  
  
  
  
Prue and Phoebe shimmered into a cave in the Underworld, still fighting on the ground. Phoebe shoved Prue off of her with increased demonic strength, when Cole suddenly shimmered into the cave.  
  
"You!" Prue screamed out.  
  
She pulled a vile of the Belthazor vanquishing potion out of her pocket, that she kept with her at all times since Leo told her Cole killed her.  
  
"I'm going to kill you for what you did to my sister!" Prue screamed. "I'm going to get vengeance for my sister!"  
  
Phoebe spotted the potion vile in Prue's right hand as she stood up, and knew what she had to do.  
  
"Prue, wait!" Phoebe yelled.  
  
Prue turned to face Phoebe.  
  
"How do you...." Prue began to say.  
  
Phoebe changed back to her human form.  
  
"It's me, Prue." Phoebe said. "I'm not dead. Cole didn't kill me. That was a lie. To protect both of us."  
  
"This can't be....." Prue said. "This is a trick! It has to be."  
  
"It's no trick." Phoebe said, walking closer to her sister.  
  
Prue stepped back, afraid.  
  
"I won't hurt you." Phoebe said. "Trust me."  
  
Prue stepped foward, and Phoebe hugged her sister, suddenly breaking down into tears.  
  
"I've missed you so much." Phoebe said in-between tears. "I can't explain why I've done this, but it was for you, for you and Piper, know that. And know that I will always love you, my dear sister."  
  
Phoebe broke the embrace, seeing that Prue was also in tears.  
  
"You have to go now, before The Source realizes you're down here." Phoebe said.  
  
Prue didn't respond, still crying, as Phoebe waved her right hand, sending Prue back to the surface.  
  
"Phoebe..." Cole began to say.  
  
He walked over to her, and Phoebe rested her head on his chest, and let herself go, crying as Cole attempted to comfort her.  
  
"It's not your fault, Phoebe." Cole said. "We're just two souls caught between good and evil. We're two souls rejected by both, with nowhere to go. But we have our love for each other, and that's the only thing that we can have, and that we can count on anymore."  
  
Phoebe continued to cry as Cole hugged her tighter.  
  
Two souls.....  
  
  
  
Next Up: Choosing Sides  
  
Prue and Piper find a way to break the spell keeping Phoebe in service of The Source- if they vanquish The Source, the spell is broken. However, Phoebe's turn to a half-demon is irreversiable no matter what, and the Power of Three is lost because of it, so Prue and Piper aren't even sure if they can pull it off. Phoebe struggles to choose between good and evil, as Prue and Piper find a way that they can vanquish The Source- but this method may cost them both their lives. 


End file.
